pulling an engine at the junkyard?

so we've got lots of guys on the forum that I know have pulled engines at the pick n pull...

how did you go about pulling the engine?... i mean physically... do you bring a lift?... does the yard have one for rent/loan? do you just bring a buddy and grunt it out?

I discovered pull-a-part the major city over and the prices are pretty awesome... so I may have a look...

thanks guys :) mark

They have a chain fall on wheels. Battery powered sawzall can be a handy weapon for getting things out of the way like exhausts. Get there early if you've spotted something desirable - the yard guys swoop in pretty quick. Annoying that they punch a hole in the oil pans instead of using the drain.

All the pull-a-parts around Atlanta either have a chain fall or A-frame hoist like oldtin mentioned, or they will come out with a front-end loader and lift it out of the bay once you disconnect everything. Sometimes I think it's easier to cut off the front bumper/radiator/etc... (everything in front of the engine). Then you can usually get at the motor mounts and exhaust stuff a lot easier.

You can grab some seatbelts to use as straps to lift the engine so you don't have to bring an chain.

Some u-pull-it yards won't allow DIY hot wrenching or engine pulling, they have a yard guy w/ wrecker for that, some free... if they know you, some w/ small fee.

But Pa. yards are notorious for spring mud, at my age I'd rather pay $15-20 to have 'em pull it n load it in my truck while I drink my coffee than jerk myself off in boot-sucking mud.

at the junkyard i used to hang out at, they didn't allow you to pull your own engines or transmissions.. if you wanted an engine out of a car, they'd bring the car into their really awesome service bay/demolition center, put the car up on the lift, and pull it out for you.

you could pull pretty much anything else from a car, but frowned on people wrecking half the car just to get at whatever they were after. this place is an old school "junkyard" that has been family owned since 1953 and is spread out over 100 acres.

The Pull-A-Part places around Atlanta usually has you come get them and they have a fork lift, but to attach the engine, the simplest, and most effective way is to go cut out some old seatbelts from a minivan/SUV (tend to be longer) and tie them in loops around the motor mounts, exhaust manifold (if it's got a cast iron), and then have it picked up.

I learned this trick from a buddy of mine when I pulled an XR motor out earlier this year, made the whole job a snap, and you might think seatbelts aren't strong enough, but they not only picked up the motor with accessories, but also the trans (caught on the crossmount until we removed it). That's something on the order of 700lbs with 3 seatbelt loops...

Every time I have done it they have a hoist available in the yard. Make sure you grab one that isnt broken though, they often are. Unless the car is wrecked there is no reason to destroy half the car getting the engine out, its good practice to figure out how things come apart the right way. Another note on being polite, at least at the yards I go to, any car parts left on the ground are picked up daily and throw away/scrapped, so I make a habit of putting anything usable I remove in the trunk or the car or on the roof or whatever when im done.

Same here in Cola Pull-a-Part . . .I grab a few buddies and an A-frame hoist (if we get there early enough). We can usually get it done in about 20-30mins. . .

I find that the only engines I want at U Pull are REALLY small, so I just take the whole front end with me (IE Festiva... Aspire)

it's a Pull-a-Part place... thanks guys... never done the engine pick before...

thanks guys mark

or they will come out with a front-end loader

Yup. Especially @ PAP. Just make sure to bring a buddy to gaurd the car while you go find the operator.

donalson wrote: it's a Pull-a-Part place... thanks guys... never done the engine pick before... thanks guys mark

But Mark, your engine was on the floor already.

Just did one here in Colorado. Pulled the engien myself with the yard's big "A Frame" hoist. That worked great, but I was alone and it was a real chore to move the thing, especially once the engine was hanging on it.

They loaded it into the back of the 4Runner for me with a fork lift for free, just had to sign a damage waver. The guy clearly had done this a lot and there was little danger anything would get messed up.

Oh, junk yard tip - a rear seatbelt makes a great strap to attach to the hoist. Worked great. The guy at the yard suggested it.